Cornbread Battered Fried Chicken Recipe
Cornbread battered fried chicken made with honey cornbread mix for a golden, slightly sweet coating and juicy, flavorful chicken in every bite.
Servings: 2 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 6 whole chicken wings separated into flats and drumettes (use the 6 flats for this recipe)
- 1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Peanut oil enough to generously coat the bottom of a 9- to 12-inch cast iron skillet for shallow frying
For the wet cornbread batter
- 1/2 cup Krusteaz Honey Cornbread Mix
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- Additional milk as needed to thin the batter
For the dry dredge
- 1/2 to 1 cup Krusteaz Honey Cornbread Mix depending on the size of your wings
- 1/2 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Hot Honey for serving!
Instructions
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken wing flats dry and season them all over with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and smoked paprika. Set aside while you prepare the batter and dredge.
- Make the wet cornbread batter. In a shallow bowl, combine 1/2 cup honey cornbread mix, 1/2 cup milk and the egg. Whisk until combined. Add a little more milk as needed until you have a smooth batter that is thin enough to coat the chicken without being overly thick.
- Prepare the dry dredge. In a separate shallow bowl, combine the remaining honey cornbread mix with the seasoned salt and smoked paprika.
- Coat the chicken. Dip each seasoned wing flat into the wet cornbread batter, allowing the excess to drip off. Transfer immediately to the dry dredge and coat thoroughly on all sides. Shake off any loose excess. Allow the chicken to rest in the freezer fully coated for 5-10 minutes to ensure the batter sticks!
- Heat the oil. Add enough peanut oil to generously coat the bottom of a 9- to 12-inch cast iron skillet. Heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat until it reaches about 350°F.
- Fry the chicken. Carefully add the coated wings to the hot oil without overcrowding the skillet. Shallow fry, turning as needed, until the coating is deeply golden brown and crispy and the chicken is completely cooked through.
- Drain and rest. Transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack and allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving. Repeat with any remaining chicken.
- Serve hot. Enjoy immediately while the cornbread coating is crispy. Add a drizzle of honey or hot honey if you really want to take the sweet-and-savory flavor over the top.
Notes
Keep an eye on your oil temperature. Cornbread mix contains sugar, so the coating can brown faster than a traditional flour dredge. You want enough heat to crisp the chicken without letting the outside get too dark before the chicken cooks through.
And don’t be afraid to thin the wet batter. Depending on your cornbread mix and the size of your egg, you may need another splash of milk. You’re looking for a coating, not cornbread cake batter.
Lastly, fry in batches. Crowding the pan drops the oil temperature, and crispy chicken is the entire point here.
If cornbread and fried chicken are already two of your favorites, this one just makes sense.